Improvement of Fishery Data and Information Collection Systems in Southeast Asia

Transcription

1 FishCode-STF-WP2005/1 SEC/SP/65 Improvement of Fishery Data and Information Collection Systems in Southeast Asia Proceedings of the FAO/SEAFDEC Regional Workshop on the Improvement of Fishery Data and Information Collection Systems Bali, Indonesia, 15 to 18 February 2005 Volume 1: Report of the Workshop

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3 FishCode-STF-WP2005/1 SEC/SP/65 Improvement of Fishery Data and Information Collection Systems in Southeast Asia Proceedings of the FAO/SEAFDEC Regional Workshop on the Improvement of Fishery Data and Information Collection Systems Bali, Indonesia, 15 to 18 February 2005 Volume 1: Report of the Workshop FISHCODE STF PROJECT FOR IMPROVING INFORMATION ON STATUS AND TRENDS OF CAPTURE FISHERIES SOUTHEAST ASIA FISHERIES DEVELOPMENT CENTER FOOD AND AGRICULTURE ORGANIZATION OF THE UNITED NATIONS Bangkok, 2005

4 The designations employed and the presentation of material in this information product do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and SEAFDEC concerning the legal or development status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. All rights reserved. Reproduction and dissemination of material in this information product for educational or other non-commercial purposes are authorized without any prior written permission from the copyright holders provided the source is fully acknowledged. Reproduction of material in this information product for resale or other commercial purposes is prohibited without written permission of the copyright holders. Applications for such permission should be addressed to: FAO FishCode Strategy for Improving Status and Trends of Capture Fisheries (FIshCode-STF Project). Food and Agricutlrue Organization of the United Nations, Viale delle Terme di Caracalla, Rome 00100, Italy. Or SAEFDEC Secretariat, Suraswadi Building, Kasetsart University Campus, P.O. Box 1046 Kasetsart Post Office, Bangkok 10903, Thailand. FAO, SEAFDEC 2005

5 FAO-SEAFDEC, Improvement of Fishery Data and Information Collection Systems in Southeast Asia: Proceedings of the FAO/SEAFDEC Regional Workshop on the Improvement of Fishery Data and Information Collection Systems, Bali, Indonesia, February Volume 1: Report of the Workshop, 38 pp. SUMMARY Improvement of Fishery Data and Information Collection Systems in Southeast Asia: the Proceedings of the FAO/SEAFDEC Regional Workshop on the Improvement of Fishery Data and Information Collection Systems was prepared based on the outcomes from the Regional Workshop on the Improvement of Fishery Data and Information Collection Systems, collaboratively organized by FAO FishCode-STF Project and SEAFDEC, in Bali, Indonesia, from 15 to 18 February The Proceedings are published in two volumes: Volume 1: Report of the Workshop, and Volume 2: Regional Synthesis and Country Papers. Distribution: Participants of the Workshop FAO Fisheries Department SEAFDEC Member Countries Relevant international/regional fishery organizations

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7 VOLUME 1: REPORT OF THE WORKSHOP TABLE OF CONTENT Page 1 Background Objectives of the workshop Participation Mechanism of the workshop and format of the report Opening of the workshop Information requirements for sound policy-development, better decision-making and responsible fisheries management Future direction, considerations and immediate follow-up actions including clarification of information needs, areas of improvement and the way to promote the new requirements of the data and information Special presentation on the experience of developing fisheries statistical systems in Southeast Asia Regional guidelines on fishery statistics in Southeast Asia Minimum requirement and framework of the new regional fishery statistical bulletin for the Southeast Asian region Streamlined reporting mechanism of fishery statistics for FAO and SEAFDEC Adopted conclusions and recommendations... 16

8 ABBREVIATIONS ASEAN CCRF COFI CPUE CWP FAO GDP JICA MEY MSY SEAFDEC SSB Strategy-STF VMS Association of Southeast Asian Nations Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries Committee on Fisheries Catch per Unit of Effort Coordinating Working Party on Fishery Statistics Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations Gross Domestic Product Japan International Cooperation Agency Maximum Economic Yield Maximum Sustainable Yield Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center Spawning Stock Biomass Strategy for Improving Information on Status and Trends of Capture Fisheries Vessel Monitoring System

9 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The FAO/SEAFDEC Regional Workshop on the Improvement of Fishery Data and Information Collection Systems was held in Bali, Indonesia from 15 to18 February It was attended by senior fishery officers (decision makers who use information) and technical officers (who provide information) from Southeast Asian countries in order to increase the use of fishery statistics for sound policy-development, better decision-making and responsible fisheries management through improving the quality of fishery information. Prior to the workshop, a set of questionnaires were distributed to participating countries to describe their national fishery data and information systems in a complete and comparable manner, which were subsequently analyzed and synthesized to identify critical shortcomings and weaknesses of the systems. Based on the results of regional synthesis, the workshop dealt with a variety of issues concerning to fishery statistics in the region, which includes 1) identification of information requirements for selected policy objectives, 2) consideration of immediate follow-up actions (e.g. needs for capacity development) and the way to address new requirements of fishery data and information, 3) adoption of regional guidelines on fishery statistics, 4) identification of minimum requirements for regional compilation of fishery statistics (framework for the new fishery statistical bulletin of the SEAFDEC), 5) streamlined mechanism for reporting of fishery statistics to FAO and SEAFDEC. It was reported that existing fishery data and information collection systems in the region reflected traditional monitoring systems, focusing more on total catch and value. To support development and implementation of sound policies and sustainable management, more appropriate indicators are required. It was also confirmed by the regional synthesis that smallscale fisheries were not being given due attention and not well monitored. It is necessary to actively develop and implement multi-sectoral approaches, including socio-economics and livelihood aspects, for data collection and analysis of small scale fisheries. It was suggested that useful information for fisheries management purposes are often available from non-fishery institutions; however, the possibility of using such fisheryindependent information has not been fully exploited. The workshop recommended some measures to promote/improve the use of existing fishery-independent information. The regional analysis indicated that, in the Southeast Asian region, some countries have advanced monitoring systems while others are just starting to develop their systems. It is therefore recommended to make use of the regional expertise for capacity building. In the process of developing the minimum requirement and framework of fishery statistical bulletin for the Southeast Asian (SEA) region, needs of the follow-up actions were clearly identified. These include; SEA countries to confirm their respective sub-areas reflecting appropriate eco-systems and management requirements. SEA countries to review classifications of species for marine and freshwater capture fisheries and aquaculture; fishing gear (including national/local name); fishing boats; water bodies; types of aquaculture; and types of processing In case of countries that use horsepower for classification of fishing boats, a study to develop conversion ratio from horsepower to gross tonnage should be conducted.

10 SEAFDEC Secretariat to seek formal confirmation from Indonesia, Malaysia and Vietnam on the proposed adjustment of the demarcation lines between Area 71 and 57 for the Malaysian water in the Malacca Strait and between Area 71 and 61 for the Tonkin Gulf SEAFDEC Secretariat to consult with the Coordinating Working Party of Fishery Statistics (CWP) on the proposed adjustment The Workshop confirmed that regional guidelines on fishery statistics was an useful instrument and could be used as a basis to formulate future follow-up activities in implementation of the Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries and in improving fishery information and statistics in the region. As a basis for formulation of future regional collaborative program on fishery statistics, the Workshop identified the following priority areas: Development of minimum requirement and standard definitions and classifications for fishery statistics in Southeast Asia Development of the Southeast Asian Status of Fisheries and Aquaculture (SEASOFIA) Promotion of timely preparation of fishery statistics through the Application of Database and Information Technology (in the design, development and testing of software, documentation, and training of concerned personnel) Human resources development on data collection, processing, analysis, interpretation and reporting Strategic planning/system review of fisheries and aquaculture statistics Development of statistical system for small-scale coastal fisheries, inland fisheries and aquaculture

11 1 BACKGROUND Knowledge of the status and trends of capture fisheries, including socio-economic aspects, is a key to sound policy-development, better decision-making and responsible fisheries management. It is necessary at the national level for the maintenance of the food security and for describing social and economic benefits of fisheries. Such information is also essential for assessing the validity of fisheries policy and for tracking the performance of fisheries management. With increasing number of countries taking up a scheme of decentralized management of fisheries, more accurate and timely information should reach at community level and result in a better-informed public that supports efforts to manage fisheries and aquatic resources in a responsible manner. The collection and analysis of fishery data and information is a costly and timely exercise. To be relevant and cost-effective, fishery data and information collection systems must have a clear set of objectives and appropriate strategies to collect data, which should be based on priorities and requirements of data users. However, chronic problems of insufficient human and financial resources allocated for data collection often resulted in poor quality of information that further led to non- or limited use of statistics for fishery management and policy development. Consequently only dwindling support was given to systematic improvement of national fishery data and information collection systems. There is an urgent need to terminate this vicious cycle of problems. Concerned with those persistent deficiencies of fisheries data and information collection systems worldwide, FAO has introduced the Strategy for improving information on status and trends of capture fisheries (Strategy STF) 1 in order to provide a practical framework for the improvement of knowledge and understanding of fishery status and trends. It is a document that provides guiding principles for implementation arrangements, and sets forth objectives, policies, programmes, actions and decisions that define who will do what and why. As one of major instruments to implement the Strategy- STF, FAO formulated a project for improving information on status and trends of fisheries (FishCode STF Project) under the umbrella of the FishCode Programme Assistance to developing Countries for the Implementation of the Code of Conduct for responsible Fisheries. The project is aimed at addressing the improvement of collection, processing and use of data and information on the status and trends of capture fisheries. Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center (SEAFDEC) plays a prominent role in fishery statistics in the Southeast Asian region and has been assembling regional fishery data and information for decades. The ASEAN-SEAFDEC conference on sustainable fisheries for food security in the new millennium Fish for the people held in 2001 reaffirmed the importance of fishery statistics and information. In response to such needs, SEAFDEC has committed itself to strengthen national fishery statistical systems, maximize their use for fisheries planning and management, and develop standard definitions and classifications to facilitate regional fishery statistics and information exchanges. It is currently implementing four fishery statistics and information related projects in the region 2. 1 FAO, Report of the technical consultation on improving information on the status and trends of capture fisheries. Rome, March FAO Fisheries Report No Rome, FAO. 75p. 2 These are the projects on Improvement of Fishery Statistical Systems and Mechanisms (Project SDI-2), Information Gathering for Capture Inland Fisheries in ASEAN Countries (Project SDI-6), Identification of Indicators for Sustainable Development and Management of Capture Fisheries in the ASEAN Region (Project SDI-5), and Information Collection on Sustainable Pelagic Fisheries in the South China Sea. 1

12 Development or improvement of any fishery data and information collection system requires a logically structured approach as recommended by technical documents of both FAO 3 and SEAFDEC 4. The structured approach includes a sequential pathway, starting from the understanding on Why data are needed? through the clarification of data requirements (What data need to be collected?), and the consideration of How data will be collected?. The results of this practice can be compared with the existing fishery data and information collection system in order to identify gaps in monitoring and, crucially, to assess the validity of the system. Clear description of existing fishery data and information collection systems, if available, will certainly help this process. In general, Southeast Asian countries share a number of common features in their environment, ecosystems, aquatic resources, sector structures and socio-cultural aspects of fishing communities. Many fisheries in the region are typically characterized as multispecies/multi-gear tropical fisheries, in which large number of small-scale operations predominated. Monsoon climates bring rich freshwater resources and people naturally rely on easily accessible aquatic resources that forms an integral part of wet-rice production based culture. Several large rivers run across the region and create seasonal inundation, where crossboundary ecosystems have been established including migratory aquatic species. The geographically dispersed archipelago is another marked characteristic of some countries, which illustrates the diversity and spatial dispersion of fishing communities and activities in the region. In terms of fishery data and information collection, these are also areas that pose serious challenges to national fishery line agencies. The complexity and diversification of fisheries activities are often simply beyond the capabilities of the national agencies to deal with. It is, therefore, required for the countries in the region to join hands to improve the quality of national fishery data and information systems in a collaborative manner. Each should have something to offer to, and benefit from, the others. 2 OBJECTIVES OF THE WORKSHOP In order to address the issues mentioned above, the FAO/SEAFDEC Regional Workshop on the Improvement of Fishery Data and Information Collection Systems was held with the overall objective of increasing the use of fishery statistics for sound policy-development, better decision-making and responsible fisheries management through improving the quality of fishery information. National fishery data and information collection systems are a primary vehicle to produce fishery information and therefore should be capable of providing reliable and relevant information to the users in a timely manner. The workshop was tasked with the following immediate objectives: To discuss the future usage of fishery statistics and the way to improve the quality of fishery data and information in the Southeast Asian region based on the national review of fishery data and information collection systems and regional synthetic analysis; To exchange national knowledge and experiences in designing and developing fishery data and information collection systems among participating countries; 3 Guidelines for the Routine Collection of Capture Fishery Data, FAO Fisheries Technical Paper 382, Rome Handbook on Collecting Fishery Statistics for Inland and Coastal Fisheries, SEC/SP/60,

13 To identify shortcomings and weaknesses of fishery data and information collection systems as well as identifying the needs for capacity development in fishery data collection; To finalize the scope and framework of the new Regional Fishery Statistical Bulletin for the Southeast Asian Region that will be published annually by SEAFDEC; and To discuss on streamlining process of the reporting of fishery statistics by the Member Countries to both FAO and SEAFDEC through the development of the simplified and regionalized reporting mechanism. 3 PARTICIPATION The workshop was attended by senior fishery officers who were in charge of decision making in fisheries management and technical officers who were responsible for fishery data and information collection duties. The workshop was designed to provide a valuable opportunity to facilitating dialogue between information users (decision makers) and information providers (technical officers). Such dialogue is important in terms of building awareness among decisions makers on quality issues of fishery data and information, and on the other hand, assisting information providers to better understand information requirements as well as how raw data should be interpreted into meaningful information. The list of participants appears as Annex A, workshop agenda as Annex B and the list of documents placed before the Workshop as Annex C. 4 MECHANISM OF THE WORKSHOP AND FORMAT OF THE REPORT Prior to the workshop, each participating country was requested to fill up the questionnaires on the national fishery data and information collection systems, which were then analysed and synthesised as background for workshop discussion. The workshop was composed of plenary and smaller working group discussions aimed at effective exchange of views and ideas among decision makers and technical officers towards achieving the objectives of the workshop. The background paper on regional synthesis of fishery data and information collection systems in the Southeast Asian region and country reviews were compiled separately as Volume II of the workshop report. 5 OPENING OF THE WORKSHOP Dr. Subhat Nurhakim, Director of Research Center of Capture Fisheries, Agency for Marine Fisheries Research. Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries, Indonesia addressed welcoming remark to participants. In his remark, Dr. Subhat expressed the gratitude to FAO and SEAFDEC for supporting the organization of the workshop (Annex D). It was followed by the remark by Mr. Niwes Ruangpanit, Secretary-General of SEAFDEC (Annex E) and a keynote presentation entitled The need for better information on status and trends of fisheries by Dr. Richard Grainger, Chief, Fisheries Information and Data Unit, Fisheries Department, FAO. Dr. Grainger stressed the importance of quality information in describing the benefits of fisheries as well as in addressing management of fisheries. 3

14 Mr. Freddy Numberi, Minister of Marine Affairs and Fisheries opened the Workshop. Mr. Numberi emphasized that generation of improved information is not the end itself but the information should be accessible to all stakeholders in timely manner. The information will serve as the eyes of decision-makers (Annex F). 6 INFORMATION REQUIREMENTS FOR SOUND POLICY-DEVELOPMENT, BETTER DECISION-MAKING AND RESPONSIBLE FISHERIES MANAGEMENT Formulation of fishery policies and management plans need to be based upon analyses of reliable data that can only be obtained through: 1. Proper design of data and information collection; 2. Proper field implementation of data and information collection; 3. Proper processing of the data collected in the field; 4. Proper analyses of the data and; 5. Proper dissemination of the information generated to target information users in particular the policy makers In other words, fishery data collection can be considered as A chain of events and flow of information. This implies that a flaw with a component of the process or a broken link/error in the chain will result in errors and unreliable estimates of the indicators. This characteristic of fishery data collection has to be considered in any analysis of national fishery data and information collection systems. The chain of events in design and implementation of fishery data and information collection systems is described in a number of FAO publications such as Guidelines for the routine collection of capture fishery data (FAO Fisheries Technical Paper 382), describe the sequential pathway of designing and implementing a fishery data and information collection system, starting from the understanding of WHY data are needed, through the clarification of data requirements (WHAT data need to be collected), and the consideration of HOW data should be collected. During the work on the regional analysis of data collection systems it was realised that not all regional Feedback 1. Design of a data collection system 1a. Identify policy/management objectives (Why) 1b. Identify objectives for data collection (Why) 1c. Identify indicators and data variables (What) 1d. Define data collection strategy (How) 1e. Define data collection methods (How) 2. Implementation of data collection (Who) 3. Data processing & management (Who & How) 4. Analysis of data and information (Who & How) 5. Dissemination of data & analytical results (Whom & How) 6. System appraisal 4

15 partners were familiar with this chain of events or with the existing guidelines. In order to familiarise with this logical thinking process, small group discussions/exercises were taken place which include the following components: Practice of designing a data collection system 5 taking into account the logical development of the process: WHY--WHAT--HOW--WHO Identification of information requirements for different policy objectives. A typical set of objectives were pre-selected for this purpose such as Sustainable use of marine resources Maintain food security Increase export earnings from fisheries Improve the livelihood of coastal communities Selection of indicators, determination of strategies, selection of methods and consideration of implementation arrangements (see Figure 1): Indicator 1 Strategies & methods for data collection Strategies & methods for data collection WHO WHO Strategies & methods for data collection WHO Strategies & methods for data collection WHO Objective 1 Indicator 2 Strategies & methods for data collection WHO Strategies & methods for data collection WHO Strategies & methods for data collection WHO Indicator 4 Strategies & methods for data collection WHO Strategies & methods for data collection WHO Figure 1: Why, What, How and Who All groups finalised the design of a data collection system for the objective Sustainable use of marine resources. The indicators and strategies/methods selected by the three groups are summarised and presented in Annex G and H. 5 The data collection system was designed for the fictive country Pais Pesca 5

16 7 FUTURE DIRECTION, CONSIDERATIONS AND IMMEDIATE FOLLOW-UP ACTIONS INCLUDING CLARIFICATION OF INFORMATION NEEDS, AREAS OF IMPROVEMENT AND THE WAY TO PROMOTE THE NEW REQUIREMENTS OF THE DATA AND INFORMATION In order to prioritize actions in the region and to identify gaps a list of indicators (Table 1) was screened on importance and practicality by the participants of the different countries. Table 1: Indicators for sustainable use of resources and livelihood of small scale fishers Country: Fishery Sector: Data items Score importance Score Practicability Are you using it Yes /No SUSTAINABLE USE OF RESOURCES Biomass (Standing stock) CPUE Recruitment / Spawning Stock Biomass Max Length Length at 1 st maturity Species composition Length/Age structure in Catch By catch / discards MSY MEY Total catch Number of vessels Number of gears LIVELIHOOD OF SMALL SCALE FISHERS Distribution of fishing income Total income Distribution of fish consumption Employment Access right to fishing Social status Sharing mechanism of catch Seasonal dependency patterns Credit Total catch Fish price No of fishers/effort CPUE Access to education 6

17 The total score 6 for indicators related to the sustainable use of resources and for improving the livelihood of fishers is presented in Figure 2 and Figure 3. Sustainable use of resources 1600 Total score Max Length Length at 1st maturity SSB MEY Age structure Catch MSY By catch Biomass CPUE Species composition No of gears No of vessels Total catch Figure 2: Total score for indicators related to sustainable use of resources Livelihood of fishers Total score Social status Sharing catch Access to education CPUE Dependency patterns Credit Fishing income Fish consumption Access to fishing Employment Income No of fishers/effort Fish price Total catch Figure 3: Total score for indicators related to improvement of livelihood of fishers In both cases the highest scores were given to such indicators as total catch, total value/fish price, no. of fishers/vessels/gears, clearly reflecting the historical tradition of fisheries monitoring which tend to focus more on production and fishing capacity than on information to support fisheries management. 6 Calculated as Sum of Importance/(1/Sum of practicability) 7

18 8 SPECIAL PRESENTATION ON THE EXPERIENCE OF DEVELOPING FISHERIES STATISTICAL SYSTEMS IN SOUTHEAST ASIA The presentation on Experience of Developing Fishery Statistical Systems in Southeast Asia was made by Dr. Tadashi Yamamoto who has extensive experiences of developing/improving national statistical systems in the region. It was suggested that this presentation could be used as guidance when developing future programs/activities to improve fishery statistics in Southeast Asia. The following is the summary of the presentation. Need for fishery statistics Fishery Statistics are required at various levels Local level within a country National level Regional level (e.g. SEAFDEC Regional Bulletin) - Annual (e.g.catch and fishing units) - Occasional (e.g.fishing boat, fishermen) Mode of data collection There would be two options in terms of modality of data collection: Though municipal offices - requesting municipal offices to fill out data required into a set of reporting forms (the system as adopted in Japan till 1945). Through local fishery offices - sample surveys such as developed in Indonesia. Statistical data items Data items to be collected should include; Capture fisheries. 1 Fishery Establishment. 2 Fishing Unit. 3 Fishermen. 4 Catch in Quantity and Value Aquaculture. 1 Aquaculture establishment. 2 Water Area under culture. 3 Persons engaged. 4Yield in Quantity and Value Objectives for the collection of fishery statistics General set of objectives of collecting fishery statistics includes To assist Fisheries/Aquaculture Establishments through Fisheries Administration To assess Fisheries Resources To establish Fisheries Management Program by means of self management as far as possible However, fishery statistics will serve for different purposes at different levels. To support Community based fisheries management at local level within a country : To assist policy formulation for fishery development and fishery management of industrial fishery the at national level : Regional collation of fishery statistics such as SEAFDEC s fishery bulletin at the regional level To clarify status and trends of fisheries at the international level 8

19 Statistics to be released by SEAFDEC It was suggested for SEAFDEC to consider dissemination of statistical information through Newsletter, which scope is limited to such data items as catch of marine and inland water Annual Bulletin Occasional Report It was remarked that considerable efforts have been exerted in the region to improve national statistical systems. Reference should be made to these activities carried out by FAO/SEAFDEC when new actions are planned in order to draw lessons learnt from them. FAO Training Courses in 1952& 1954 FAO Working Party in 1969, 72 & 74 to establish statistical standard and classification (FAO Fishing Reports) FAO Fishery Statistician served to Asian Countries (UNDP Project) SEAFDEC Consultation on Fishery Statistics 1999 FAO/SEAFDEC Expert Consultation on Variables and Terminology for Aquaculture Monitoring in Asia 2000 Aquaculture 2001& 2002 FAO/SEAFDEC Workshop 2005 In conclusion, the following four points were highlighted: a. As for capture fishery, such data items as fishery establishment, fishing boat, fisher and fishing unit and catch in quantity and value are considered as the minimum items to be covered. As for aquaculture, aquaculture establishment, water area under culture and persons engaged in aquaculture and yield in quantity and value are the minimum items to be covered. b. Fishery statistics should be compiled not only at national level but also at local level such as provinces and district levels. This will give a great incentive and interest to local fisheries officials for the collection of fishery statistics. c. For the collection of fishery statistics from the field, all fishery officials stationed in the field should be involved. In other words, no field system, which is fully responsible for the collection of fishery data only, should be established, as such a full time enumerator will get tired in repeating the same survey every day and start to cook up data staying at home or will retire from his post. d. Fishery statistics compiled at local level are required for the development of community based fisheries management. 9 REGIONAL GUIDELINES ON FISHERY STATISTICS IN SOUTHEAST ASIA To assist the ASEAN Member Countries in the implementation of the Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries (CCRF), SEAFDEC initiated a regional collaborative program on Regionalization of the Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries (RCCRF) since The program aimed at translating the CCRF into actions accommodating regional priorities and uniqueness of fisheries. 9

20 As one of the major outcomes of the RCCRF program, SEAFDEC developed a Regional Guidelines on Responsible Fisheries Management in Southeast Asia, which has been endorsed by the high-level authorities of ASEAN and SEAFDEC for implementation. Within the scope of fisheries management in the CCRF, the importance of quality statistics and information was stressed as a tool to facilitate development planning and management of fisheries. Due to a large number of issues covered in the regional guidelines for responsible fisheries management in Southeast Asia, the guidelines that address the issue related to fishery statistics were still broad and needed more elaboration. This is to enable the countries in the region to clarify a clear direction for actions to improve fishery statistics. In response to the above requirement, SEAFDEC has initiated to substantiate issues related to fishery statistics as included in the regional guidelines for responsible fisheries management. This is to clarify actions of the Member Countries for the improvement of fishery statistics. The draft Regional Guidelines for Fishery Statistics was developed at the Core Expert Meeting on Fishery Statistics held in December 2004 based on the Regional Guidelines for Responsible Fisheries in Southeast Asia (RCCRF) - Fisheries Management focusing on Subarticle 7.4 and relevance sub-articles. The final draft regional guidelines for fishery statistics will be submitted to higher authorities of ASEAN and SEAFDEC for consideration and endorsement. These guidelines are envisaged to provide an important framework for formulation of ASEAN-SEAFDEC collaborative programs on fishery statistics and information as well as for supporting cooperation among the countries in Southeast Asia and international/regional organizations. 10 MINIMUM REQUIREMENT AND FRAMEWORK OF THE NEW REGIONAL FISHERY STATISTICAL BULLETIN FOR THE SOUTHEAST ASIAN REGION Fishery statistics is considered as a tool that has been used as a basis to facilitate development planning and management of fisheries. Fishery statistical items and data set collected by countries may be different based on priority needs and objectives of fishery statistics in the countries. The need for the use of fishery statistics does not only exist at national but also at regional and international levels to facilitate comparable and analysis of fishery status and trends for development planning and management in broader scope. In Southeast Asia, compilation of fishery statistics has been regularly conducted by SEAFDEC over the past twenty years in the form of Fishery Statistical Bulletin for the South China Sea Area. Due to the escalated situation in fisheries practices in the region and new geo-political set-up of ASEAN, there is a need to revise the existing framework of the regional fishery statistics and the usage of this bulletin. Considering that there are some differences in the current national statistical systems of the countries in Southeast Asia, the revision targets at a basic requirement that can possibly be achieved by countries in the region. Based on the policy directives given at the 36 th Meeting of SEAFDEC Council, SEAFDEC Secretariat organized a series of consultations with the Member Countries to develop a new framework for SEAFDEC Fishery Statistical Bulletin. Based on these consultations, SEAFDEC Secretariat, in close consultation with the national focal points of fishery statistics, will agreed on the draft minimum requirement and framework for submission for consideration and approval by the SEAFDEC Council. 10

21 The minimum requirement was, to a large extent, based on the explanatory note of the existing SEAFDEC Fishery Statistical Bulletin and the FAO Fishery Statistical Yearbook. It is suggested that the minimum requirement targets at a basic data set to facilitate timely provision of quality fishery statistics to be compiled at the regional level. It is expected that the minimum requirement, once agreed among the countries in the region, can also be used as a framework to facilitate long-term improvement of fishery statistics at the national level through sharing common goals and experience. It should be emphasized that accuracy and reliability of regional aggregation of fishery statistics would ultimately depend on upon the quality of national data sources, collection, methods, periodicity of up-dating, and reporting. Proposed Framework of the Fishery Statistical Bulletin for the Southeast Asian Region Based on development of the draft new framework of the Bulletin from the Experts Meeting on Fishery Statistics organized in December 2004, the proposed structure and contents of the new Framework of SEAFDEC Bulletin are as follows. a. Geographical Coverage The data covers all production by large-scale and small-scale fisheries and aquaculture activities in freshwater, brackish water and marine water designated by FAO Fishing Area 71 (Pacific, Western Central), 57 (Indian Ocean, Eastern) and 04 (Asia, Inland Water). b. Main Contents and Data items The contents and data items of the new framework are as follows. 1. Introduction 1.1 Definition of Minimum Requirement 1.2 Objectives of Fishery Statistics 1.3 Coverage of Fishery Statistical Bulletin for the Southeast Asian Region 1.4 National focal points 2. Geographical coverage of the Bulletin 2.1 Fishing Areas Coverage 2.2 Countries and Sub-areas a) Brunei Darussalam b) Cambodia c) Indonesia West Sumatra South-west Kalimantan South Java East Kalimantan Malacca Strait South Sulawesi East Sumatra North Sulawesi North Java Maluku-Papua Bali-Nusa Tenggara d) Lao PDR e) Malaysia West Coast of Peninsular Malaysia East Coast of Peninsular Malaysia Sabah 11

22 Sarawak f) Myanmar g) Philippines Luzon Visayas Mindanao h) Singapore i) Thailand Gulf of Thailand Indian Ocean j) Timor Leste k) Vietnam North Vietnam Central Vietnam South Vietnam 3. Definition of Fishery Sector 3.1 Fishery Sector 1. Capture Fishery - Marine capture fishery - Inland capture fishery 2. Aquaculture - Marine aquaculture - Brackish water aquaculture - Freshwater aquaculture 3.2 Capture Fishery 3.3 Aquaculture 4. Statistics on Marine Capture Fishery 4.1 Coverage and Definition 4.2 Production in Quantity and Value 4.3 Classification of Production 1) Production by species: 2) Production by type of fishing gear 4.4 Fishing Effort 4.5 Fishing Boat 1) Coverage of fishing boat 2) Classification of fishing boat Fishing boats are classified into: - Non-powered boat, - Out-board powered boat - In-board powered boat Less than 5tons, 5-10 tons, tons, tons, tons tons, tons, More than 500 tons 4.6 Fishers 1) Coverage of fishers 2) Classification of fishers a. Full time fishers b. Part time fishers 12

23 5. Statistics on Inland Capture Fishery 5.1 Coverage and Definition 5.2 Production in Quantity and Value 5.3 Classification of Production 1) Production by Species 5.4 Classification of Water body 1) Reservoir 2) Lake 3) River 4) Others 5.5 Fishing Units 5.6 Fishing Boats 5.7 Fishers 1) Coverage of fishers 6. Statistics on Aquaculture 6.1 Coverage and definition 6.2 Production in Quantity and Value 6.3 Classification of aquaculture 1) Mariculture 2) Brackishwater aquaculture 3) Freshwater aquaculture 4) Artificial Seed Production (fry, fingerling, seed) 6.4 Classification of Aquaculture Production 1) Production by Species 2) Production by Types of Culture 6.5 [Area under Culture by Type of Culture]/[Aquaculture Unit] 6.6 Fish farmers 7. Statistics on Price of Fresh [Live] Fish 7.1. Coverage 7.2 Definition of price 7.3 Unit of price 8. Statistics on Disposition of Catch 8.1 Coverage 8.2 Classification and definition 9. Statistics on Fish Processing 9.1 Coverage 9.2 Classification and definition 9.3 Counting principle for number of processing establishments (units) 10. Statistics on Exports and Imports of Fishery Commodities 10.1 Coverage 10.2 Classification and definition 13

24 11 STREAMLINED REPORTING MECHANISM OF FISHERY STATISTICS FOR FAO AND SEAFDEC SEAFDEC initiated a fishery statistical program in 1976 and publishes Fishery Statistical Bulletin for the South China Sea Area since The Bulletin is aimed at providing reliable and comparable fishery statistics to facilitate exchange of information for the management of fisheries resources and planning of fishery development programs in the countries bordering the South China Sea. FAO is mandated to compile, analyze and disseminate fishery data and information and provide advice and objective information services to the Member governments to promote responsible aquaculture and fisheries. FAO works together with countries to improve fishery statistics, primarily in order to meet national needs with regard to food security and fisheries management, but also to meet the needs of regional fishery bodies and FAO. Although statistical inquiries by SEAFDEC and FAO include common data items, the inquiries are conducted separately using different questionnaire formats. With a very limited number of staff, many fishery statistics units experience difficulties to fulfill the reporting obligations to a number of international/regional organizations. As a consequence, inconsistencies in reporting and/or significant delays in or no reporting of national fishery statistics to both FAO and SEAFDEC often occur. Proposal to streamline FAO and SEAFDEC annual fishery inquiry process In order to alleviate the problems mentioned above and also to reduce the reporting burden on the national officers, the following actions were proposed and scrutinized by the workshop participants. 1) Integration of Questionnaires SEAFDEC basically employs harmonized concepts, classifications and definitions with FAO and compiles more data items (in particular fishing effort related data) than FAO does. Therefore integration of questionnaire would be a practical solution of the problem. In this way, responses to annual inquiries of both FAO and SEAFDEC can be as simple as that countries fill up FAO questionnaires and send them to both organizations at the same time while SEAFDEC requests additional data items to be reported by countries. 2) Reporting areas For reporting areas, FAO data have area reference and they should be able to fit in SEAFDEC Bulletin format. In this connection, SEAFDEC can have more detail sub-areas (based on each country national system), which can be raised up according to the broader areas of FAO. Results of FAO s recent efforts to revise FishStat AQ questionnaires should be reflected in integrated questionnaires. 3) Shared National Focal Points National focal points reporting to both organizations officially designated by the countries are usually officers of very senior level such as head of line agency or national statistical office. This is necessary since reporting procedures for statistical inquiries have to conform to official protocols. However, this communication procedure can delay reporting as the questionnaires have to reach technical officers, who are in charge of filling up the forms. Therefore it was advisable that FAO and SEAFDEC have common national focal points for annual inquiry of fishery statistics and share the list of both official focal points and technical 14

25 officers. By having direct contact with national technical officers, both FAO and SEAFDEC can increase communication/consultation with these officers, which will help solving minor technical problems (e.g. estimation of production figures) that these technical officers may face in the course of filling up the questionnaires. It would also facilitate compilation of additional information. The lists of national focal points and technical officers should be periodically reviewed and official requests should always be copied to technical officers. 4) Compilation Framework Timely submission of questionnaires has been one of the most difficult tasks in the whole FISHSTAT related process of FAO as well as the publication of SEAFDEC Bulletin, which always involve continuous efforts of reminding national statistical offices to submit questionnaires in time. Time frames set by FAO and SEAFDEC including the working cycle/plan for sending the questionnaires to the countries, dates for submission of questionnaires, compilation and publication of annual yearbooks/bulletin need to be harmonized. Other Important Issues Apart from the efforts toward streamlined reporting of fishery statistics to FAO and SEAFDEC, there are some important issues for consideration. 1) Estimation method of parameters In the case that countries fail to submit their fishery statistics in time for annual publication of bulletin, SEAFDEC needs to consider how to deal with these cases; whether SEAFDEC should use the same estimation (projection) method as FAO or not. In the absence of reported data and reliable basis of estimation, FAO simply repeats the same figures that previously obtained from the country in question. It would be preferable for countries to make the necessary estimation when the data of the reporting year has not been available. In such cases, however, brief explanation of the method of estimation is required. 2) Missing data/data are not available Based on the current format of the SEAFDEC Bulletin, there are a number of data items that some countries have yet to collect systematically. This causes a large number of blank cells in statistical tables in the bulletin. This issue needs to be considered and agreed with possible or appropriate options for solution. Proposed Supporting Actions for Streamlining Exercise In addition to the proposed actions for streamlined reporting of fishery statistics to FAO and SEAFDEC, the following actions were proposed to supplement the streamlining exercise. 1) Collaborative efforts for improving quality of national statistics It is inherent to the nature of assembling data that their quality is subject to the quality of original data. Therefore, it is paramount that both organizations strive to improve the quality of original data. Consultations and close collaboration with countries are required when both organizations plan for improving national level statistical systems in order to coordinate and harmonize the efforts. 2) Coordinated efforts in approaching countries FAO and SEAFDEC should make concerted efforts in approaching member countries in terms of annual statistical inquiries. Increasing communication and consultation from both ends would facilitate the solutions of minor technical problems in responding the inquiry. 15

26 It should be accepted as a collaborative spirit for all concerns to exert utmost efforts in ensuring the timely provision of fishery statistics. Where possible, recognition of those involved in the process such as members of the established National Focal Points on Fishery Statistics in the ASEAN Region should be publicized to create momentum in support to these initiatives. 3) Exchange of supplementary information Member countries of FAO and SEAFDEC should exchange available supplementary information and publications of fishery statistics to facilitate compilation/collation process where possible. 4) Conduct R & D Activities FAO and SEAFDEC could undertake research and development activities such as regional workshops to improve quality of fishery statistics and data submission process. 12 ADOPTED CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS Future Directions and Collaboration with FAO for FishCode-STF With the view to promote the implementation of the Strategy-STF, the Workshop discussed the regional synthesis of fishery data and information collection systems in the Southeast Asian region, and information requirements for sound policy-development, better decisionmaking and responsible fisheries management. Based on the above discussion, the Workshop identified future directions, considerations and immediate follow-up actions for the improvement of fishery statistics as follows: Results of the regional analyses and working group discussions indicate that existing fishery data and information collection systems in the region reflect traditional monitoring systems, focusing on total catch and value. To obtain information on status and trends of capture fisheries and to support development and implementation of sound and sustainable policies and management, both main objectives of CCRF and STF, more appropriate indicators (CPUE, species composition and fishing effort, etc.) are required. Although in nearly all countries in the Southeast Asian region some indicators are collected, it is still difficult to obtain reliable information needed for management and planning due to a variety of constraints. Estimated Catch per Unit of Effort (CPUE) and effective effort on a regular basis is the most commonly used method to describe trends in fisheries. For countries in the Southeast Asian region, implementation of fisheries management on the basis of analysis of status and trends requires the following actions: a. Evaluating how far direct measurement of CPUE and effective fishing effort are currently made by individual countries b. Indicating feasible and sustainable methods for direct measurement of CPUE and effective fishing effort, taking into account the characteristics of fisheries in the region c. Investigating how to progressively incorporate these feasible methods into national data and information collection systems. 16

27 FAO welcomes the initiative formulated by the Southeast Asian countries in their Plan of Action on Sustainable Fisheries for Food Security for the ASEAN region on the use of practical and simple indicators for small-scale multi-species fisheries as a substitute for classical fisheries management models. This initiative is in line with the principles of the Strategy for improving information on status and trends of capture fisheries. The FAO FishCode-STF project actively supports the development and field-testing of such indicators and therefore calls for proposals from the Southeast Asian region. It has been recognized by COFI that small-scale fisheries are not being given due attention and are not well monitored. For the Southeast Asia region this was confirmed by the regional synthesis presented. The Strategy-STF outlines the importance of monitoring this sector particularly in the socio economic aspects. It is therefore recommended to improve the monitoring of small-scale multi-species fisheries by: a. Actively developing and implementing multi-sectoral approaches, including socioeconomics and livelihood aspects, for data collection and analysis; and b. Raising awareness on the importance of small-scale fisheries among all stakeholders involved in the sector; and The FAO FishCode-STF project actively supports the development of sustainable methods of multi sectoral monitoring of small-scale fisheries and calls for proposals from the Southeast Asian region for pilot projects. Some information to support the development of fisheries policy and management in majority of countries in the Southeast Asian region is available from non-fishery institutions. The regional analyses and the discussions during the working group sessions indicated that the existing fishery-independent data and information collection systems that could be useful for fisheries management purposes are not fully exploited. It is recommended to improve the use of such information through: a. Actively participating in the designing of such collection systems to ensure the inclusion of information of direct relevance to the fisheries sector. b. Enhancing cooperation with non-fishery institutions on data exchange and applied methodologies. c. Making use, when appropriate, of fishery-independent data or information to formulate data collection strategy and methods in the fisheries sector. The Strategy-STF outlines the importance of capacity building of developing countries, which need to be enhanced so that they can fulfil existing commitments to collect fishery statistics and to conduct fisheries research. The regional analysis indicates that, in the Southeast Asian region, some countries have advanced monitoring systems while others are just starting to develop their systems. It is therefore recommended to make use of the regional expertise for capacity building. Recommended actions described above are in line with the main activities envisaged by the FAO FishCode-STF Project, and will therefore be supported in close coordination with ongoing and planned SEAFDEC activities. The Workshop recommended that the regional synthesis of the fishery data and information collection systems in the Southeast Asian region finalized in consultation with the Southeast Asian Countries will be published by FAO FishCode-STF Project for future reference. 17